1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a glove having excellent tactility. More particularly, the present invention is a glove having seams remote from finger tips and made of material which allows for optimized tactility.
The importance of protecting military pilots against chemical warfare agents cannot be underestimated. It is not difficult to contaminate an entire airfield. Even if the interior of an aircraft can be kept relatively "clean", the pilot may come into contact with chemical warfare agents on the way to his seat. Epispastic skin poisons, such as, for example, mustard gas (Yperite, yellow cross gas) are especially unpleasant. If the hands have been contaminated, the pilot cannot pilot an aircraft for weeks, because his hands lack all sensitivity. This risk cannot be underestimated, and therefore a great amount of care must be devoted to protecting the hands. So that the glove protects against skin poisons, an adsorption layer must be present, as in chemical protection clothing. In order to avoid local perforations caused by liquid warfare agents, a good hydrophobic and oleophobic finish is recommended. On the other hand, it must be possible for the pilot to operate his instruments unimpeded, which means that a high degree of tactility must be maintained.
A soft glove, which is designed so that it makes it possible to actuate small switches, knobs, instruments, etc. requiring a "fingertip feel", is, however, also preeminently suitable for a whole range of civil applications.
2. Description of the Related Art
Gloves having a seam along the sides and over the tops of fingertips are known. However, these gloves due to their design, can impede tactility, especially at the finger tips. This is undesirable for use by pilots who require tactility to operate airplane switches and the like.
Gloves that are impervious to certain chemicals are also known. However, the chemically impervious gloves are designed to be impermeable to water vapor. This can cause sweating inside the glove and interfere with tactility. In addition, known chemically impervious gloves are often too thick to allow sufficient tactility.
As a result, there is a current need for gloves that offer a certain degree of protection from harmful chemical agents while maintaining a high degree of tactility.